I very recently purchased her and when it arrived it seemed to be in good health except for a few leaves on top. It arrived in a 3inch plastic nursery pot. I repotted it into a average 5 inch self watering pot. At a rapid rate the leaves began darkening & curling. Now the complete top of the plant looks so horrible. Will I be able to revive this baby? PLEASE HELP!!!!

How fast after you received it did this happen? Looks like heat damage during shipping.

It happened fairly quick. It was really noticeable throughout the 2nd day. I'm still learning about these but should all the sad, curled, & wilted parts need to be removed?

I'm not a houseplant expert but I know heat damage when I see it. Sitting in a warehouse or delivery truck in high temperatures for even a short while while can kill a tropical plant. I'd keep the soil damp but not soggy. Does a self watering pot drain freely? Not a product I've ever used.

As for trimming, I can't see a logical place where you could cut back to healthy growth.

@Calif_Sue — Can we get this thread moved to the houseplant forum?

So do you feel that I still have a chance at saving her? And yes there is about an inch or so between the bottom of the planter and below that is where the water will go....

I can't predict the outcome. Even though I've seen many tropical plants killed by heat — usually in a parked car or moving van — I don't grow tropicals. Let's watch for other answers. Hopefully I'm overreacting!

One other thought, have you contacted the seller and sent pictures?

I made an attempt to contact the seller, I purchased it from a shop on Etsy, but that particular shop is no longer active. For that reason, Etsy didn't hesitate about refunding my money. I'm just praying that she will bounce back, but if I'm fighting an already lost battle I would rather know. I get attached to plants I buy and if they end up dying it seems a little part of me goes with it. LOL I guess I'm going to patiently wait and see if I get anymore opinions or advice and take it from there...

It was cooked in transit. As long as the stems are green, there is hope.

I've not used self-watering pots either. I fear if you use the reservoir, it might keep the soil too wet. A plant without leaves is not photosynthesizing so not using very much water. Not a good time for another transplant though.

I had exactly the same thought about the pot, water system, and transplant timing. Any way you can remove the reservoir and water sparingly from the top of the soil? Also, bright light but definitely no direct sunlight.

Edit to add, good to hear you got a refund. Not surprised that the seller is no longer in business. A quick Google search would have told them what the temperatures were. I've dealt with responsible companies who won't ship their perishable products in the heat.

Also, welcome to NGA!

All the leave just look sickening but the stems look pretty healthy. Can you easily propagate these kind and if so can somebody kindly explain to me how? I'm anxious to see this baby on the road to recovery...Thanks, for all your kind responses. I was told these were supposed to be really easy to care for...I use grow lights for my plants cuz natural lighting is not a luxury I have here...Also thanks for the warm welcome.

@purpleinopp , you've propagated scheffs, haven't you? Advice?

I have. : ) It's as easy as sticking a cut stem into soil. For this particular pot, I would not do anything but wait. If the stems are still OK, new leaves will grow. If they are not, trimming won't help.

This thread caught my attention because I have a three year old Schefflera which spends summers outside. The past two seasons, when I brought it inside for the winter, the leaves immediately began to dry up and fall off, from the top down. Both times it retained enough life - barely - to make it through until I could put it outside again, at which time it slowly revived.

Now it's almost time to bring it in again, and I'm expecting the same problem. Can anyone tell me what I should be doing - or not doing - to prevent this from happening yet again? Thank you!

Are the stems still green? If so, I would think it's safe to say they are still alive by now.

purpleinopp said: Are the stems still green? If so, I would think it's safe to say they are still alive by now.

Tiffany, assuming your reply was to my question, my schefflera is 15" tall, with three stems and a total of 16 leaf clusters. It takes the entire growing season outside (in a pot on the open porch) to recover from the previous winter's leaf drop. This will be the 3rd winter inside, and I'd like to avoid the leaf drop that it's suffered the first two winters.

Last winter, it was in a west-facing window, and I'm wondering if the air in that location may have been too dry. I'm curious what others do to raise the humidity for their houseplants and whether this is something I should try - ?

Any advice will be appreciated.

I'm so sorry, @ItalianateGirl I was asking @MelisTreasures about her plant.

But I'm glad you asked about yours too. : ) IME with Scheffs, leaves drop if it gets too cold (left outside under 40°) or if the soil gets too dry. See if keeping on top of those things helps this winter. I would look at those aspects before trying to mess with the humidity.

I believe what you are referring to as a leaf cluster is a single compound leaf.

- https://www.uwgb.edu/biodivers...

From what you said, it sounds like your plant has 16 leaves. Are you able to add a pic?

@MelisTreasures, is your schefflera a schefflera arbicola? If so, she may be hardier than you think. Mine is at least 10 years old. During the COVID lockdown when our offices were closed, mine survived 53 days without water. And then survived my dropping her in the carport and shattering her pot the day I finally brought her home. She lost a good number of leaves, then stabilized; now she resides on the hearth near a southwest window. These pictures are of her in the office on the day I brought her home 3 years ago; one year later; and now on the hearth. This is just to offer you some hope!

Best of luck with your schefflera!

I truly apologize for a delay in response. Life has been really hectic for me, back on Labor Day the place we were living caught fire and been trying to get things worked out here..I really appreciate all the kind replies. I must say as of right now the stems are still healthy looking as well as feeling by the touch. As for the leaves they all look like shriveled prunes. I haven't watered it since I made this post. So I honestly don't know what to do with it as of this moment...
@ImaPlanterNTx to answer your question yes it's an arbicola. Im also uploading a pic of what she looks like now.

So sorry about the fire! No apology needed for a delayed reply. Life does get in the way of devoting attention to plants sometimes. : )

The rest of it looks questionable but the stem on the right looks promising. If that was my plant, I would cut off those dead leaves because they can't recover, are no longer attractive, and are blocking the light from reaching the stem(s) where new leaves might hopefully start to grow soon. They will be on the floor soon, making a mess. If the soil is dry, water it thoroughly.

purpleinopp said: I'm so sorry, @ItalianateGirl I was asking @MelisTreasures about her plant.

But I'm glad you asked about yours too. : ) IME with Scheffs, leaves drop if it gets too cold (left outside under 40°) or if the soil gets too dry. See if keeping on top of those things helps this winter. I would look at those aspects before trying to mess with the humidity.

I believe what you are referring to as a leaf cluster is a single compound leaf.

- https://www.uwgb.edu/biodivers...

From what you said, it sounds like your plant has 16 leaves. Are you able to add a pic?

Sorry about my ignorance - no wonder my houseplants are struggling! Anyway, apparently mine is a "schefflera actinophylla" - it presently is healthy, but sparse, and I'd like to prevent the leaf drop that always seems to occur when I bring it in from the porch for the winter.